Solidarity investigates alleged 100% exclusion of white people by Amazon

Solidarity will thoroughly investigate reports that Amazon, the US technology giant, is excluding businesses from a business development programme in South Africa based on the race of their owners.

Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) explicitly requires participating businesses to be 100% black-owned. This means that a business is excluded from the programme if even one of its shareholders is white.

AWS describes the programme as part of its efforts to promote “diversity and inclusion”. Solidarity, however, believes there is nothing diverse or inclusive about a programme where an owner’s race determines whether their business has access to economic opportunities.

Solidarity is taking the reports seriously and will thoroughly investigate the programme, its eligibility requirements and any possible remedies. Should it emerge that the programme does indeed amount to absolute racial exclusion, Solidarity will take decisive action.

Amazon is a US multinational company that advocates equality and inclusion around the world. It is therefore particularly concerning if a programme operated in South Africa excludes businesses based on their owners’ skin colour.

Solidarity emphasises the principle that race should not be a ticket to economic opportunity. Absolute exclusion based solely on race is precisely the kind of practice that Solidarity opposes both locally and internationally.

Multinational companies cannot promote one set of values on equality and non-discrimination to the world while applying a different standard in South Africa. Where absolute racial barriers are imposed, Solidarity will investigate them and, where necessary, take decisive action against them.